Sunrise

Photo by David Fitzpatrick

5 Pet Peeves

 

I may be a little early here, our Tuesday may arrive ahead of the Tuesday of Moments that Define Life but I will be linking up with Nicole’s Listable Life when you American’s eventually catch up!

1. People (and they know who they are) not putting the butter back in the fridge after they use it.
2. People (the same ones who have a problem with the butter) using the last of the toilet paper and not putting a new roll in the holder.
3. Homework. I’m doing more homework now than when I was AT school and seriously folks I’m over it (and we are only 6 weeks into the new school year).
4. Television stations who muck around with their programming. Moving the times of my favourite shows (I have a schedule you know) and worse than that putting on one or two new episodes then sneaking repeats back in, if I’m a fan of the show I want the new stuff. I am the most obedient and loyal of viewers, leave me a cliffhanger I will be waiting with baited breath for the next instalment, I CARE about the characters you create and when you disregard my feelings I get hurt and start to lose interest – just warning you I may not be here when you finally decide to play the rest of the new eps.
5. The automated system on bill paying/fault reporting/service centres lines. When I have a query and end up trapped in a neverending circle of robotic voices issuing useless instructions that don’t get me any closer to speaking to a real, live human being the insanity of the situation drives me bonkers.

What are your pet peeves?

Bago Vineyard

Spent a lazy Sunday afternoon at Bago Vineyard with friends listening to a local jazz band. Surprisingly a relatively drama free outing – well except for Princess Child losing a tooth and getting bitten twice by bull ants – but given our track record that’s a pretty good day out for us.

There was wine and cheese.

And the company of good friends.

Weekly Photo Challenge – Indulge

A Sunday afternoon listening to jazz at one of the local wineries enjoying a cold glass of white and a delicious cheese plate – indulge plus!

The Power Of Words

Those of us who blog, or like to read blogs are very aware of the power of words. However, this video says it in the most eloquent way possible.

I first saw this video at a work conference last year, thanks to Kirri White at Success Coach for reminding me of it this morning.

Your Life In Six Words

Do you remember Ernest Hemingway’s short, short story. For Sale: Baby shoes, never worn.? At the Smith Magazine Larry Smith used Hemingway’s story as inspiration and asked his readers to describe their lives in six words. It was supposed to be a month long competition but now five years later it’s still going strong.

Oprah Magazine ran an article on the six word memoir this month and there were some great ones in there. My personal favourite was Trudy Love Tantalo, 60 who came up with Was hot. Raised kids. Lost cool. Although kudos also goes to Kimberly Kilroy, 53 with Still fit into high school earrings. There were some particularly poignant ones as well, Melinda Hui, 38 Abandoned at 5. Learning to thrive. While Melanie Barbour, 34 shared Stage IV cancer made me live.

How would you define your life in six words?

I’m struggling with the task so far I’ve come up with a few.

Forward thinker, attracts chaos, tries hard.

Or

Always making do while dreaming big.

Or

Laughing through the insanity of life.

Will have to give it some thought and come back later with a more refined final version. In the meantime, what have you got? Six words, your life, go ….

The Leadership Issue

Dear Jules and Kev

Excuse me could I have your attention for a minute? Excuse me. Hello. CHILDREN WILL YOU STOP YOUR BICKERING FOR A MINUTE AND LISTEN.

Right, now that I’ve got your attention.

It seems we’ve got a bit of a situation happening. Obviously the two of you have issues, there is no denying it, but I think there’s a few things you need to consider.

I realise you have both made politics your life’s work. I understand that your daily world operates in the glass bubble of Canberra populated by politicians, bureaucrats and the media scrum. Where every person lives and breathes lobbying, deal making, you scratch my back I’ll scratch yours, strategy, leak this to make them look bad, spin, spin, spin, deny, deny, deny, oops changed my mind, count the numbers.

However, in what we lovingly call the real world people aren’t as obsessive. Out here the big issues include who’s getting the kids to soccer training this afternoon, who lost the coin toss and has to get time off work to make the orthodontist appointment and has anyone remembered to pay the phone bill?

We simply don’t have time to keep up with who has done what to whom in our country’s capital. The lucky among us have jobs to go to and bosses aren’t keen on us following the twitter debate in the time they are paying us to work. We don’t have a desktop radio to tune in to the press conferences the two of you are throwing together every second hour. Quiet frankly we are tired. We don’t have the energy to worry about your dummy spits when we have our own tantrum throwing children to discipline.

Here’s where we stand. We want honest and sincere representation. We want you to cut the bull**** and just tell us what you really believe not what you think we want to hear. We want bravery, politicians who have a policy that isn’t poll driven. We want folks in charge who we know care about people and consider the human impact of every decision they make.

In the land of the people we are freaking out about stuff like will the interest rates go up? Can we make this week’s pay stretch to cover the bills that need to be paid? We are passionate about our kids getting a good education (whether we can afford to pay for it or not). We want quality medical care even if we long ago ditched those private health insurance premiums. We worry that our jobs are secure and when we find they are not we want to know there are alternatives available other than the dole queue.

We want confidence that the people in charge are looking at the big picture and not just their own personal pride.

I hope you get it sorted and we know that getting it sorted means there will have to be a winner and a loser. Whoever the loser is has to just suck it up and either play nice or take their bat and ball and go home (not slink off to the backbench to sling insults from the rear).

In the meantime, note to the other side, we know you are waiting in the wings rubbing your hands with glee as your enemy self-destructs, but remember the stuff we want applies equally to you – honesty, bravery, care for others, education, health and jobs.

sincerely,

An overworked, overwrought constituent.

Splash

Photo by David Fitzpatrick

A Week Is A Long Time At Shambles HQ

There are households where dinner is never burnt, housework is always under control, the residents never disagree and the homework is done with a minimum of fuss ahead of it’s due date.

This is not one of those households.

As we skate in “just in time” with all our responsibilities, argue amongst ourselves over the best approach to an assortment of issues and madly paddle against a rising tide of challenges you’ve just got to laugh.

Last week was just another week of chaos for the Shambles family.

In my real world job I’m trying to organise an event for local students, last week numbers were low at 150 RSVP’s and my co-organisers were concerned.

On Tuesday Mr Shambles was informed the company he works for is closing their Port Macquarie office. In two weeks he will be officially unemployed. I am not concerned. I am not concerned. I AM NOT CONCERNED. One of the disadvantages of living in a regional area is the limited number of work opportunities but we are hopeful he will get a job quickly (like before the next electricity bill is due would be good) according to one employment agency he is very “marketable” so let them “market” away!

On Wednesday Princess Child develops a sore throat and needs two days off school.  I administer TLC over the phone from work during the many calls she makes to inform me she is SICK AND HOME ALONE.

On Friday  Mr Shambles is offered some casual work at the award rate (not ideal but it might pay that electricity bill). Hippie Child headed off to the local disco (I know that’s not the right terminology but I’m stuck in an 80’s time warp so sue me). Having  learnt nothing from our last attempt at eating out  I decide we can celebrate the job offer by going out for pizza. We ran out of petrol. Mr Shambles enjoys a 40 minute walk to and from the service station while I wonder if you can be arrested for failing to collect your child from the local club when her disco finishes.

At the moment we are a one-car family (it’s a long story but it involves a car that is well beyond it’s use-by date, brakes that probably need work and an intense debate over whether it is worthwhile to even register the thing again) Saturday morning our trip to the shops was interrupted by our only car breaking down. It was at this point that I remembered I may have sorta forgotten to pay the road service fee (hell my car wasn’t on the road so I wasn’t likely to need it was I). My phone was out of battery. Mr Shambles phone was out of credit. We walked to the road service agency paid the bill and left Mr Shambles, a very unhappy chappy, looking for a phone box while we went shopping. Hippie Child comments it might be wise to NOT blog about this until he calmed down (I’ve given him four days surely that’s enough time to move on).

Sunday Princess Child and I have a loud discussion (we are not calling it an argument) over her lightning project which is due on Monday. We get it finished – with a beautiful heading glued down – only to discover we forgot to stick in the  “H”. We rip the heading off and redo it.

Monday my real world event has 760 students registered now we are trying to figure out how to feed them all. If my co-organisers just read the blog they would realise giving me a challenge is a dangerous thing – I’m an all or nothing girl.

Today I get an email telling me a piece I submitted for a guest post at Saturday Morning Ogre Mum yes the one I cried over will be published tomorrow. Excitement plus.

So there it is a week of ups and downs – just the normal shambolic living.

5 Favorite Recipes for Entertaining

I’ve never really done link-ups or memes before (watch me gettin’ with the lingo) but liked the look of this one and let’s be honest it’s 10.13pm and I need something to blog about.

Over atMoments That Define Life there is is the Listable Life a weekly meme which gives a choice of “lists” to create.

There’s a certain irony to this post. Given that my efforts at entertaining have often been the stuff of disaster reflected on with horror for years afterwards.

Check out this Facebook conversation with my friend Petrina (who gets the award for the longest-serving flatmate I ever had, a woman of incredible patience) after she read  Happy Birthday Hippie Child.

Petrina:  So the cooking at your place is still fraught with danger then? I still have a giggle when I recall your hand made fetticini dinner. Trying so hard to impress your new boyfriend/ Couldn’t see the walls for smoke – But still tried to save it. The serving spoon sticking upright in the cement like pasta. Boyfriend’s comment? Wot a winna! Everyone knew it was the start of something beautiful. Happy Valentine’s. xx

Janine: Yes Janice still refers to that dinner too – nothing like making an impression.

Petrina: 🙂

Janine: Thinking last night you might have got two disasters mixed up. The smoke was the chicken and almonds night the fettucini just went to Glag glue didn’t it? Or did I generate smoke as well?

Petrina: Memory is a funny thing… I like to tell it with plenty of character. You’re probably right and love that you’ve owned up to another disaster without any help whatsoever… Good onya Jeannie.

Janine:Just here to entertain. When are you coming to Port so I can cook for you again?

Petrina: Ummm : )

And yet here I am sharing with an audience my five favourite recipes for entertaining. Petrina will be amused.  Look and learn people.

I have discovered a love for my oven when entertaining – bung it in – enjoy a wine – just don’t forget to set the timer.

Given that, my all time favourite is Fish Provencal   from Real Living Magazine.

Another dish I like to share  is Summer Orchecchiette also from Real Living Magazine. Simple as.

Then I turn to my love affair with Gwyneth Paltrow that I’ve told you about before – and her book Notes from My Kitchen Table, I’m particularly fond of the Vegetable Paella.

Are you getting the sense I like big plates of food that everyone serves for themselves? Presentation less of a worry then.

I am also very partial to Gwyneth’s brussel sprouts (don’t laugh she actually makes them taste good) as a side dish.

Then an old faithful dish beloved by the children is the aforementioned chicken and almonds dish – yes the very first meal I cooked for the boyfriend which involved fire, a smoke filled ambience and a tendency toward charcoal flavour. However, when you don’t burn the oil it works out quite nicely. BTW he went on to marry me – and still complains I can’t cook – it’s not like he wasn’t warned!

The dish goes something like this – throw some white wine in a pan, sprinkle in a chicken stock cube, boil until slightly reduced, add in some cream and a dash of wholegrain mustard, boil again until it thickens up a little. Meanwhile crumb chicken breasts and fry in a little oil. Serve chicken with sauce and some flaked almonds sprinkled on top. To really tempt your taste buds here’s a really bad photo of the dish, with sauce a bit too runny and no almonds because I didn’t have any that night.

It was my staple entertaining dish in the late 80’s and early 90’s – and I’m still serving it – can you tell I’m a creature of habit? Or perhaps my reportoire is limited so now I’ve got the hang of it (sort of)  I don’t like to deviate from the tried and true.

What do you like to cook when guests come over?